104P/Kowal

104P/Kowal
Comet Kowal 2 photographed from the Zwicky Transient Facility on 12 February 2022
Discovery[1]
Discovered byCharles T. Kowal
Discovery date13 January 1979
Designations
P/1979 B1, P/1991 X1
  • Kowal 2
  • 1979 II, 1991 XX
  • 1979a, 1991f1
Orbital characteristics[2][3]
EpochNovember 21, 2025 (2025-11-21)
Observation arc4,685 days (12.83 yr)
Earliest precovery date11 January 1973[4]
Number of
observations		2241
Aphelion5.345 AU
Perihelion1.072 AU
Semi-major axis3.209 AU
Eccentricity0.6659
Orbital period5.75 yr
Inclination5.70°
207.2°
Argument of
periapsis		227.3°
Mean anomaly241.5
Last perihelion11 January 2022
Next perihelion12 October 2027[5]
TJupiter2.789
Earth MOID0.111 AU (16.6 million km)
Jupiter MOID0.288 AU (43.1 million km)
Physical characteristics[6]
Dimensions2.0±1.0 km
Comet total
magnitude (M1)		10.5

104P/Kowal, also known as Kowal 2, is a periodic Jupiter-family comet discovered by Charles T. Kowal in 1979. The orbit was confirmed after new sightings in 1991 and 1998.[7]

By July 2027, the comet should be around apparent magnitude 14.[8] At the perihelion passage on 12 October 2027 the solar elongation will be 66 degrees at a magnitude of approximately 11,[8][7] The comet should be observable with small telescopes.

Observational history

In 2003, Gary Kronk and Brian Marsden noticed that an object observed by Leo Boethin in 1973 was actually 104P/Kowal. From Boethin's report, it was apparent that comet Kowal 2 had been in a short, major outburst to apparent magnitude 9.5 in 1973.[4]

During the 1997–98 apparition, the comet was brighter than expected, reaching an apparent magnitude of 13 in mid January.[9] The comet wasn't observed during the 2010 apparition.[7] During the 2022 apparition, it brightened to a magnitude of 9.2 according to Chris Wyatt.[10]

Orbit

104P/Kowal closest Jupiter approach around 1924-May-04[2]
Date of
closest approach		 Jupiter distance
(AU)		 Sun distance
(AU)		 Velocity
wrt Jupiter
(km/s)		 Velocity
wrt Sun
(km/s)		 Uncertainty
region
(3-sigma)		 Reference
1924-May-04 ± 3 days0.005 AU (750 thousand km; 460 thousand mi)5.32 AU (796 million km; 495 million mi)19.621.9± 800000 kmHorizons

The comet was in an orbit with a perihelion distance of 1.50 AU and an orbital period of 6.38 years until an approach to Jupiter on 15 January 1996 reduced both to 1.40 AU and 6.18 years respectively.[9] A further encounter with Jupiter on 4 July 2007 at a distance of 0.300 AU reduced the perihelion distance to 1.18 AU and the orbital period to 5.90 years. One more close approach to Jupiter on 30 May 2019 reduced the perihelion distance to 1.07 AU and orbital period to 5.74 years.[2]

References

  1. ↑ C. T. Kowal (30 January 1979). B. G. Marsden (ed.). "Comet Kowal (1979a)". IAU Circular. 3321 (1). Bibcode:1979IAUC.3321....1K.
  2. 1 2 3 "104P/Kowal 2 – Small-Body Database Lookup". ssd.jpl.nasa.gov. Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Archived from the original on 29 April 2026. Retrieved 16 July 2023.
  3. ↑ "104P/Kowal Orbit". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 7 April 2017.
  4. 1 2 L. Boethin; G. W. Kronk (11 December 2003). B. G. Marsden (ed.). "Comet 104P/Kowal". IAU Circular. 8255 (1). Bibcode:2003IAUC.8255....1B.
  5. ↑ "Horizons Batch for 104P/Kowal 2 (90000956) on 2027-Oct-12" (Perihelion occurs when rdot flips from negative to positive). JPL Horizons. Retrieved 6 July 2023. (JPL#K222/11 Soln.date: 2023-Apr-05)
  6. ↑ P. L. Lamy; I. Toth; Y. R. Fernández; H. A. Weaver (2004). "The Sizes, Shapes, Albedos, and Colors of Cometary Nuclei". Comet II (PDF). University of Arizona Press. p. 238.
  7. 1 2 3 Yoshida, Seiichi (24 January 2016). "104P/Kowal 2". Aerith Comet Catalog. Retrieved 29 March 2016.
  8. 1 2 G. van Buitenen. "104P/Kowal". astro.vanbuitenen.nl. Retrieved 26 April 2026.
  9. 1 2 Kronk, Gary. "104P/Kowal 2". cometography.com. Retrieved 16 July 2023.
  10. ↑ Yoshida, Seiichi. "Weekly Information about Bright Comets (2022 Mar. 12: North)". www.aerith.net. Retrieved 16 July 2023.
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